US Proposes Expanding UN Arms Embargo to All of Sudan

The United States has proposed expanding the existing United Nations arms embargo on Sudan's Darfur region to cover the entire country, aiming to pressure the warring parties to negotiate an end to a conflict that has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced some 13 million. The proposal was presented by President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Monday.

Boulos argued that external support is prolonging the war, saying the Security Council has the tools to curtail "a tremendous and increasing amount of military support to both warring parties" from "numerous external actors." He did not name countries providing that support, though Egypt has been a vocal supporter of Sudan's military, and the United Arab Emirates is accused by UN experts and human rights groups of arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an accusation the UAE has repeatedly denied.

The US draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, expands the embargo geographically to cover the whole of Sudan and applies it "to all parties operating in the territory," reaffirming that drones and related technologies are covered. The resolution also deplores "the continuous influx of external military assistance, weapons, and ammunition to the warring parties, which is prolonging the conflict and undermining mediation efforts," and demands that all countries "cease any direct or indirect support to the warring parties, be it logistical, financial or military, which enables conflict to continue."

Boulos said the brutality of the war waged by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces has discredited their claims to be legitimate governors, and warned that external support risks drawing neighboring states deeper into war. The US plan would also increase the number of experts monitoring the embargo.

The existing embargo on Darfur, imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1591 in 2005, has been in place for two decades and is set to expire on September 12, 2026, if not amended or renewed. The panel of experts established by the resolution has been renewed until 12 October 2026.

Reactions and Opposition

Sudan's UN envoy, Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, urged members to endorse a "technical extension" of the embargo while warning against changes that would hamper the army. "Sudan suffers the most from weapons and their illegal flow. However, expanding such a sanctions regime will weaken the protection of civilians," he said.

Russia, which holds veto power in the Security Council, voiced skepticism over changes to the existing deal, saying expanding the embargo could impact the Sudanese army's effectiveness.

Denmark, Britain, and France have backed the US proposal, while China, Russia, and Sudan's representative openly opposed it.

UN Officials' Warnings

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo warned of the conflict's increasing complexity and said sophisticated weaponry points to ongoing external support to both parties. She told the Security Council that despite numerous diplomatic efforts, "the parties remain locked in a zero-sum military logic," and that "greater international attention and action are urgently needed for them to change that calculus."

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher noted the heavy use of drones and localized ground combat in recent weeks. Experts say Sudan's army and the RSF are competing to obtain new drone models, and rights groups have said the use of unmanned aircraft has become increasingly common in the war.

War's Toll

The conflict, now in its fourth year, stems from a power struggle that emerged following Sudan's transition to democracy after an uprising forced the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Tensions boiled over three years later between Sudan's military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who chairs the ruling sovereign council, and RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who was Burhan's deputy.

Sudan's army holds sway in central and eastern regions, while the RSF controls western and southern Darfur. Darfur has seen some of the worst violence, including repeated attacks on displacement camps and ethnic massacres.

Burhan said Monday that new sanctions would not deter his troops from carrying on with their war until all RSF-controlled areas are captured, according to the army-controlled SUNA news agency. "Our souls and destiny are in God's hands," he said while attending a graduation ceremony of new police officers in Khartoum. "Our message to those staying in hotels abroad and cheering at sanctions that are meant to subjugate the Sudanese people is the following: The people will not be broken, but we will break and defeat you."